Many industrial processes are comprised of at least one body of process fluid serviced by at least one body of temperature-conditioning fluid, which is commonly an aqueous-based temperature-conditioning water, such as cooling water, boiler water, pasteurization water and the like. These fluids are held within separate lines or other confines to prevent contamination of one fluid with the other fluid. The servicing of a process fluid (liquid, solid-containing slurry, gas or mixtures thereof) by a temperature-conditioning fluid, however, generally requires such fluids to be brought into close proximity, such as being routed on opposite sides of a heat exchanger wall or surface. The close proximity of such distinct bodies of fluids creates a serious, but unavoidable, risk of leakage between fluids, whereby at least one fluid is contaminated by the other.
The ramifications of such process fluid/temperature-conditioning fluid leakage can be extremely serious because the compositions of such fluids are very dissimilar in most industries.
Temperature-conditioning fluids routinely are waters (most often, but not necessarily in liquid form) that contain far less solutes or other non-H.sub.2 O substances than process fluids. The non-H.sub.2 O substances of temperature-conditioning waters are typically inorganic materials. Organic substances, whether naturally occurring or added as treatment chemicals, are generally present only in relatively minute amounts. In contrast, not only does the concentration of non-H.sub.2 O substances in process fluids typically dwarf that of temperature-conditioning fluids, but process fluids may be comprised in significant portion of organic materials or substantially wholly of non-H.sub.2 O inorganic substances.
Leakage from a process fluid to a temperature-conditioning fluid not only represents a process fluid loss, but also can significantly increase the overall manufacturing costs and can lead to serious fouling of the temperature-conditioning fluid system. Leakage from a temperature-conditioning fluid to a process fluid not only represents a temperature-conditioning fluid loss, which can throw off a temperature-conditioning fluid treatment program, but also can seriously taint the process fluids. These dissimilar fluids are not intended to contact each other or intermix in any manner, and when the mingling of some portion of one with the other occurs through leakage, a method whereby such leakage is not only detected, but also located and/or quantified, would be highly advantageous to the manufacturing process.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for detecting leakage between at least one body of temperature-conditioning fluid and at least one body of process fluid in an industrial process. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for locating the site of leakage between at least one body of temperature-conditioning fluid and at least one body of process fluid in an industrial process. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for quantifying leakage between at least one body of temperature-conditioning fluid and at least one body of process fluid in an industrial process. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for responsive treatment of a body of temperature-conditioning fluid and/or a body of process fluid upon the detection, location and/or quantification of leakage there between in an industrial process. These and other objects of the present invention are discussed in detail below.